


If We Only Have Tonight

by fanspiration



Series: Fifteen Years Can Change You [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Arguments, F/M, I don't even know anymore, Not My Fault, angsty, friends - Freeform, hope you're happy Hannah, i don't really know to be honest, she made me do it i swear, tony is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-15
Updated: 2015-05-15
Packaged: 2018-03-30 09:51:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3932356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanspiration/pseuds/fanspiration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>THIS CAN BE READ AS A FLASHBACK FIFTEEN YEARS BEFORD "Fifteen Years Can Change You" OR IT CAN BE READ AS A STAND ALONE FIC OF THEM IN HIGH SCHOOL</p><p>Bruce and Natasha are friends, Tony is an idiot and I can't write summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If We Only Have Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as a second part to "Fifteen Years Can Change You" but then I decided I kinda liked it more as a stand alone so you can take it either way. This was written all because my friend wanted more of FYCCY (hope you're happy, Hannah.)

_"_ Bruce, I'm telling you. You have  _got_  to ditch that weird Romanov girl." Tony sighed, flopping back on Bruce's bed. There was a dull thud as something fell off.

Bruce just rolled his eyes. Tony had been on at him for ages about Natasha, and how sitting with her would lower his popularity. Yeah, right. As if he was popular anyway. He sighed. "Look, Tony. She's a nice person, ok? You many not like her, and maybe other people don't either, but honestly? Who cares."

Tony sat up and stared at him. "Nice person? She's a freak, Bruce. Have you seen her with computers? She's like some super genius or something. She could probably hack into the government if she wanted to. Maybe she already has. And did you hear what she did to Loki, that weird goth dude? She put him in the infirmary because he tried to grab her butt. Admittedly, the dude's a creep, but still. She's like some weird ninja, or-" He paused, and Bruce could see the cogs turning in his mind. "Wait, her dad is Russian, isn't he? Maybe he's a spy. Maybe  _she's_  a spy. Maybe-"

"Tony," Bruce snapped. "Just stop it. Natasha is my friend, so stop giving me a hard time about it. Just because you have some weird ego thing which means you have to be everybody's best friend, doesn't mean I can't like people other than you, ok?" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but once he started he couldn't stop. "I'm so tired of your constant needing to be, well, needed. You're always clingy, and ever since you and Pepper broke up you've been worse. And you hate the fact that I might possibly have a friend that isn't you, which is incredibly hypocritical, because you have Rhodey and Thor, when I have no one. Apart from you." Bruce was yelling now, everything all coming out at once. "I bet you feel threatened, don't you? Threatened that I might find someone to replace you. Well, there's no need to worry, because I'm sure no one could be as... as annoying as you!" He had gone too far, and he knew it. But the damage had been done, and when he began to calm down he saw that Tony's eyes were filled with betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Tony, I-" 

"You know what? Don't even bother." Tony said quietly, anger causing his voice to shake. "I'll show myself out," he spat, glaring at the other boy as he walked by. Moments later, Bruce heard the slam of the door downstairs. he sighed and sat down, trying to process what had just happened. Ok, he knew he had anger problems, and Tony could be infuriating at the best of times, but he'd never yelled like that before. No wonder Tony looked so shocked.

He leant forward, placing his head in his hands. What was he going to do?

He heard a soft knock on his door, and seconds later his mom's face appeared. "Is everything alright?" She asked softly, entering the room. "I heard yelling, and then Tony stormed out, and-"

Bruce shrugged. "Everything's cool. He had to go or he'd be late for work." He glanced at is watch. "Talking about being late... Nat and I are working together on our chemistry project, is it ok if I go over?"

His mom frowned. "It's a little late, honey. Are you sure her parents won't mind?"

Bruce shook his head, gesturing to his phone. "She just texted me saying it was fine with them. Please? I'll be back before nine," he begged. He didn't care how desperate he sounded. He had to get out of the house, and now.

She nodded reluctantly, sighing. "If you're sure. Go on then, don't keep her waiting."

He smiled gratefully, grabbing his school bag and a jumper. "Thanks, mom," he said, bending down to kiss her on the cheek, then turned and ran.

The cool air hit him as he stepped out the door, and he was grateful for the sudden shock to his senses. Just what he needed.

Bruce scanned the windows of his house to check his mom wasn't watching him, then turned and walking in the opposite direction of Natasha's house. He loved his mom, he really did, but she was a bit too trusting sometimes. They hardly ever worked together on projects, and when they did she always went to his. He had seen her house from the outside, but had never been in.

He walked in thoughtful silence for several minutes, until he reached the park. Tony and him had played here when they were younger, and now it had become his sanctuary. Back then, it was full of kids 24/7, but now, it was barely used, making it the perfect hiding spot for-

"Bruce? What are you doing here?"

And, apparently, Natasha.

Bruce turned, grinning at her sheepishly. "I, uh- came here to think, really," he said, shrugging.

She laughed, watching him from her seat by the swings. "How ironic. Me too."

He nodded and sat down on next to her on the floor, neither of them saying a word. The silence that descended upon them was not uncomfortable, and Bruce found it comforting to have someone else nearby, not that he would admit it.

"So..." Natasha spoke, making him jump slightly. "You come here often?"

Bruce chuckled softly, nodding. "All the time. How about you?"

"Sometimes," she replied, shrugging. "Depends."

"On what?"

"Whether there's anything I want to think about, I guess."

"Fair enough," he said. Another silence fell, but this time it felt more loaded, more meaningful. When Bruce looked back over at her, Nat had her glasses in her hand and was wiping tears from her face. He was surprised by this unexpected show of emotion, and was unsure of how to react.

"Are you... are you alright?" He asked eventually.

She sniffed, wiping her cheek with the sleeve of her shirt, then nodded, saying nothing.

Bruce sighed. "I mean, you probably don't want to talk to me, and I'm not a brilliant listener, but if you want-"

"I'm moving," she interrupted, placing her glasses back on her face. "My father is taking us back to Russia. A new start, he says, is what we need. What he needs, more like," she added bitterly. 

"Oh. That, um- that sucks."

"Yeah, it does." Natasha looked away, then turned back to him. "But do you know what? It's not the move that makes me angry, not really. It's the fact that I've finally found some sort of stability, actually made friends, and now it's all being snatched away from me again. And he doesn't even give a damn."

 _Friends?_   Every time Bruce had seen Natasha, she had been by herself. She didn't have  _friends_. She didn't  _talk_ to anyone as far as he was aware, no one apart from-

Oh. He was her friend.

The fact surprised him, even though he knew it shouldn't. They'd known each other for almost a year, after all.

"So yeah. Next week I'll be starting all over again. New place, new me." She sighed, shaking her head. "That's the thing though, what if I'm fine with who I am now?"

Bruce nodded sympathetically. "My mum's the same, she doesn't get it. She thinks that, because I'm not the most popular kid in the school, I must be miserable and hate myself. And yeah, I guess I can be pretty miserable sometimes, and I do have issues with my temper, but it's not all about that, you know?" He sighed, remembering the argument he had with Tony just before he left. "It's ironic really," he said, mostly to himself, but Natasha heard, and looked at him curiously. 

"What's ironic?"

"Nothing really, just... Tony and I had an argument earlier, and it all seems so pointless now." He looked across at her to find she was watching him with interest, so elaborated. "Basically, he was jealous of our... friendship, or whatever this is, and was trying to make me ditch you." he chuckled humorously. "That's why it's ironic. I stuck up for you and said he was selfish, clingy, needy, insecure... OK, I know I went too far, but once I started," Bruce paused, looking away. "I just couldn't stop."

Natasha was silent for a moment, then smiled softly. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For defending me. Not many people do that."

Bruce grinned back at her. "No problem." They fell back into a contented silence, neither wanting to ruin the moment. Instead, they sat together, watching the darkness fall around them. Sometime in the night, he fell asleep, and when he woke, Nat was gone.


End file.
